TNT and TBS Land Terminator Salvation Network Rights

Terminator Salvation is headed to TNT as part of a 13-title Warner Brothers movie package nabbed by the network and TBS. The deal also includes recent openers Watchmen and Ghosts of Girlfriends Past, Gran Torino and three upcoming releases: The Hangover, The Informant and Sherlock Holmes.

TNT and TBS have acquired exclusive TV rights to the 13 movies, which will begin airing on the cable networks about 30 months after their U.S. releases. Terminator Salvation is looking at an end-of-2011 network debut. The license fee for the films is tied to their box office performance and expected to average 10%-12% of their domestic grosses. After seven days in theaters, Terminator Salvation has amassed $69 million. Depending on how the movie does at the box office, it would earn $15 million-$24 million from TNT.

Also included in the package are recent Warners releases Observe & Report, Inkheart and Pride & Glory and upcoming horror flicks The Box, starring Cameron Diaz and James Marsden; The Orphan, with Vera Farmiga and Peter Sarsgaard; and the Kate Beckinsale actioner Whiteout.

TNT and TBS join FX, which nabbed four recent No. 1 movies: Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian, Star Trek, X-Men Origins: Wolverine and Monsters vs. Aliens. FX’s Sunday showing of the first Night at the Museum film broke the network’s record for most-viewed acquired movie, with 3.7 million tuning in.